Jump to content

Purchasing 14-18 Silverado 1500

steveo2155
 Share

Recommended Posts

steveo2155 Enthusiast

steveo2155

Posted
Posted

Looking at upgrading to a 14 - 18 Silverado 1500 from a 05 Silverado. Any problematic year or common issues? 6 cylinder vs 8 cylinder performance and mpg difference? Will be towing a 5 to 6000 travel trailer at most and sxs.

diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

Bad time due to used prices. 1500 for 6k pounds will work for flat terrain towing. Not mountains IMO. My 2012 struggles with that weight here in the mountains of Colorado. 

YMMV

JimCost2014 Senior Enthusiast

JimCost2014

Posted
Posted

The 18-model year has been great for me so far. They worked out a lot of the issues that I experienced with my 14 and 16.

 

 

Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted

My 2015 with a V6 is worry free and can tow a 7k trailer in hilly/mountainous terrain.  It has ample power and good mpg's as a daily driver but it can get pretty thirsty when towing heavy!

  • Like 1
steveo2155 Enthusiast

steveo2155

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, Donstar said:

My 2015 with a V6 is worry free and can tow a 7k trailer in hilly/mountainous terrain.  It has ample power and good mpg's as a daily driver but it can get pretty thirsty when towing heavy!

What kind of mpg

Grumpy Bear Senior Enthusiast

Grumpy Bear

Posted
Posted

I don't tow, period. But my 2015 V6 RCSB has been trouble free for over 150K. Upper 20's for MPG in the midwest. My old boss has a 16 CCSB with a V6 he tows heavy industrial equipment with that has been a rock. Fork trucks and shop machine stuff on a flatbed. 

  • Like 1
CamGTP Senior Enthusiast

CamGTP

Posted
Posted

My preference is 2016-2018. The front ends look better and better radio/tech stuff.

 

They all have their similar issues. Wheel bearings, cooler line leaks, radiator leaks on the early ones. Some have AFM problems with the engine. Some can have torque converter failures on a 6 and 8 speeds.

 

Maintenance records would be a must have for me, I'd want to know it's history and the lower mileage the better in my eyes.

  • Like 2
mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted

My 2016 has the 5.3l engine, 6L80 trans and 3.42 gears. I did have to change out the mirrors to tow mirrors and add a Tekonsha P3 brake controller as it didn't come with the integrated trailer brake controller. I'm just as glad that it didn't because I think the P3 is more adaptable. I tow a Wilderness FSX 190RT toyhauler. 25' and weighs in around 4500 dry. Loaded is probably around 62-6400lbs.

 

Like was mentioned above, absolutely no problems with towing. I haven't made it to what some may consider mountains yet but I have towed up and down quite a few long steep grades across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina. South Dakota and Wyoming will be coming up in a few months though. What I have figured out is that when coming to a steep grade, I will drop the shifter from "D" down into manual and that makes the trans drop down 1 gear. If I find that the rig is struggling, I will drop down 1 more gear manually and it will cruise right up the grade. Many times I find I don't even have to push the accelerator down any further than I already was. I primarily prefer to travel back roads and avoud interstates because I find it a lot more relaxing.

 

As far as mpg when towing, I found it did a little better in the hills and got between 10-11mpg towing. Flat lands might drop down to 8-9mpg. I have a 26 gallon tank and just figure in fuel stops around 200-220 miles. I find that unless I really have to be somewhere, I may only use 1-1/2 tanks and then I'm ready for stopping for the night. 

 

I have not had any major problems, knock on wood. No collapsed lifters, no trans problems, nothing major. I did have the leaking shark fin antenna and that was replaced under warranty. I also had leaking 3rd brake light and that too was fixed under warranty. The only real problem I did have was a crack in the front axle housing which again was repaired under warranty. I do use the Range AFM disabler so I run on all 8 cylinders all the time. I am hopeful that this has prevented lifter failures but in reality, I know better. I also did the updated transmission thermostat that should help with trans temps and will find out more this year as well when putting some stress on it with towing. But so far, so good at 63,000 miles and counting..

  • Like 2
Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

As far as mpg when towing, I found it did a little better in the hills and got between 10-11mpg towing. Flat lands might drop down to 8-9mpg. I have a 26 gallon tank and just figure in fuel stops around 200-220 miles. I find that unless I really have to be somewhere, I may only use 1-1/2 tanks and then I'm ready for stopping for the night. 

This mileage was similar to mine with a smaller trailer and engine.  I discovered that the reason for the poorer mpg's on flat ground was my tendency to drive faster.  If I dropped my speed, I could easily maintain the double digit mpg's.   It seems like the sail behind you creates more of a strain than the weight at higher speeds.

  • Like 2
mikeyk101 Senior Enthusiast

mikeyk101

Posted
Posted

This sounds reasonable. I would say another factor is that although it may use a little gas going up the grades, when going down, accelerator isn't needed and gas mileage climbs. 

 

And all vehicles have a sweet spot for best gas mileage. I agree with you on flatlands and speed will usually be a little higher. It seems if I can keep it around 60mph, I end up with the best mileage but it gets rather boring traveling for miles at that speed. My mpg without the trailer doing this will also be considerably higher but again, pretty boring...

  • Like 2
LDM Enthusiast

LDM

Posted
Posted

When my 95 Tahoe finally blew a head gasket a few years ago I decided to get a newer truck.  Ended up buying a 2015 Sierra 1500 with the 5.3 and 6 speed transmission.  It was a good truck and I towed with it a few times but I really wanted the 6.2, it was just difficult to find one in a double cab or crew cab with the 6.5 foot bed so I settled for a 5.3 as I needed a general purpose vehicle (my Camaros are garage queens).  After a while the dealer I bought my 15 from ended up getting in an 18 double cab with the 6.2, 8 speed, and max tow package, in black, which was what I really wanted from the beginning.  After some negotiating I was able to get a good deal for trading in my 15 for the 18.  Love the 6.2, although I did have the hard 1-2 shift not long after purchasing it.  The dealer did the TSB for it and haven't had the issue since.  Gas mileage isn't really any different with the 6.2 that I can tell, although I do have a tendency to drive the 6.2 faster since she has a bit more get up and go than the 5.3

  • Like 1
16LT4 Enthusiast

16LT4

Posted
Posted (edited)

About to hit 100k on my '16.  Fuel, spark plugs and fluids changes are all it's needed.  Lifter and tranny issues are overblown, IMO.

 

Well that's not entirely true.  When I added the level kit last fall, I noticed the shock bases were rotting and the UCA bushings looked like they had sat at the bottom of Hell's Gate since '16, so it got loaded UCAs and shocks all around too.  But those are normal maintenance items.

Edited by 16LT4
  • Like 1
steveo2155 Enthusiast

steveo2155

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I'm looking at a 15 Silverado with the 5.3 and 33,000 miles next week so we will see what happens there. If that doesn't pan out it seems like people that have the v6 are generally satisfied. How does the 2020 with the 4 cylinder compare? Only reason I ask is i seem to come across some of them in my price range, just wondering what people have to say about the new gen with 4 cylinder

CamGTP Senior Enthusiast

CamGTP

Posted
Posted

Lots of people love the 2.7 trucks. They make lots of torque and will tow plenty of weight for the everyday driver. Plus they get pretty damn good fuel mileage for a truck. There are several threads about that engine on here.

  • Like 1
16LT4 Enthusiast

16LT4

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, steveo2155 said:

I'm looking at a 15 Silverado with the 5.3 and 33,000 miles next week so we will see what happens there. If that doesn't pan out it seems like people that have the v6 are generally satisfied. How does the 2020 with the 4 cylinder compare? Only reason I ask is i seem to come across some of them in my price range, just wondering what people have to say about the new gen with 4 cylinder

 

That truck is a different chassis, so questions would be best answered in that forum.

 

FWIW, at nearly 100k miles, my '16 5.3 CCSB 4x4 has a lifetime MPG of 27.9, which has decreased considerably from driving it more in this cold winter.  I'm not sure the 2.7 can best that after 100k miles, though I've read it's torque curve shames the 5.3.  I'm not a turbo fan though.

Edited by 16LT4
  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.4k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,860
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    HWN808
    Newest Member
    HWN808
    Joined

  • Who's Online   4 Members, 1 Anonymous, 721 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • richard wysong
      Gas Prices

      By richard wysong · Posted

      Diesel $5.42 at the truck stop on the hi-way
    • Chuck FB
      Joke Thread

      By Chuck FB · Posted

    • txab
      Gas Prices

      By txab · Posted

      $3.59  
    • needafix
      2019+ Brake failure, it's complicated

      By needafix · Posted

      I'm not sure if this should be a new topic, let me know if it's out of place. This my first post. Thanks 85077522 - AC Delco GM Genuine Parts Brake Master Cylinders. Anyone else had to replace this brake master cylinder yet. I didn't do any brake work, it looks like new parts and I've had the truck for about 4k miles, 119k total miles.  When it started to throw codes I did the calibrations with a bidirectional scanner and got the codes to clear but they came back so I did the routine; base bleed, automated bleed and final base bleed. All that with Bosch ES16-32N fluid (please look it up). That seemed to fix it but 100ish miles later it failed again so I ran the same process but with a pressure bleeder this time and got the same results, fixed for 100ish miles. The original fluid looked bad and I thought I got most of it out, it could've been the wrong fluid. The codes; P25A2, C05B0-00, C2A1B. I can get them to clear but not for long. The C05B0 indicates a leak in the front circuit (which is bone dry) so I'm thinking of doing the bleed process on that front again today and I don't know if that's taboo to just do the front but at this point it seems like it's worth the try anyway. The new master cylinder/module unit is supposed to get here today. But now I'm pretty much convinced this install is over my head. I've called several shops and some mobile guys that I know but this thing is like radio active material, scary wise. I did get 2 local shops say they should be able to do it, one says he has the SPS2 programing capability. And with the battery disconnected is there supposed to be pedal resistance, mine is to the floor, then if I pump it I can get some resistance. I had a panic stop prior to this issue which may have contributed from what I read. And on the first attempt to bleed and hydraulic test the scanner listed things to look for and one was any gaps between the pad and rotors which I did notice on the RF corner and I removed the outer pad (where the gap was) cleaned it and the hardware and didn't see a gap after that but will re-check it. I read that if pushing the caliper pistons back then you're supposed to open the bleeder so as to not push fluid backwards into the abs module or it will damage it. If that's true then that's also a possibility from the previous owner having the brakes changed before I got it. I'm using an XTool ip500 scanner. Any suggestions, questions and comments welcome. 
    • Donstar
      Navigating senior years.

      By Donstar · Posted

      Next Friday will be my 6 week point from my right knee replacement.  The surgeon says it will be fine if I choose to drive after this checkup.  I know I could drive now but best to do as my surgeon (and my wife) tell me.  Richard compared being 62 to 72.  I remember when I was in my early 60's I was experiencing slow but regular decline in my mobility.  Thanks to good medical support,  i continued to fight the speed and spread of this decline. During my 60's I worked on non-surgical methods and just when I turned 70, my orthopedic surgeon recommended joint replacements.  In a little over a year, I had one shoulder and both knees replaced.  This hasn't been a terribly fun experience, but worth the discomfort as my future mobility health trajectory has reversed.  It is a treat to now be watching my mobility. balance and confidence steadily improve!

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...